The Daily Detour

How are you celebrating "Blasphemy Day"?

(TDD Warning: One of the following links related to this post contains some language and content that may be inappropriate for any of our younger TDD readers. Please use necessary discretion.)

Apparently, today is officially Blasphemy Day, according to the group of secularists who seek to defy God. This effort reminds me of the similar initiative back in May 2007 when atheists were engaging in the "Blasphemy Challenge", videotaping themselves committing the unpardonable sin by blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

I am struck by a couple of things when reflecting on this movement. First of all, as with any of these efforts to blaspheme God, the sheer arrogance demonstrated by those who participate is simultaneously offensive and tragic. But at the same time, it is to be expected. Man's pride versus God's primacy has been the struggle since the beginning of human history. And if there is no God, then we ourselves become our own gods--a prideful position indeed. As long as there is no God, then there are no consequences other than potentially offending those who belief otherwise. But what if all of these mis-guided folks are wrong? Just because the number of people who choose not to believe in God is growing in this country doesn't necessarily mean that He doesn't exist.

Secondly, I find it ironic in this tolerant age that the ridicule of religion is so dismissively tolerated. It's trendy to be a skeptic, and yet, it's offensive to be a Christian. Surprisely, I agree with Paul Kurtz, the emeritus chair of the Center for Inquiry, the organization that sponsored the Blasphemy Day event. He blasted the leadership of the CFI for Blasphemy Day. As he wrote in a blistering essay,

"The right to publish dissenting critiques of religion should be accepted as basic to freedom of expression. But for CFI itself to sponsor the lampooning of Christianity by encouraging anti-Catholic, anti-Protestant, or any other anti-religious cartoons goes beyond the bounds of civilized discourse in pluralistic society.

"One may disagree with contending religious beliefs, but to denigrate them by rude caricatures borders on hate speech. What would humanists and skeptics say if religious believers insulted them in the same way? We would protest the lack of respect for alternative views in a democratic society."

I couldn't agree more. We Christians certainly have contributed our fair share of civil disintegration, and we must humbly accept the times when we have dishonored the name of Christ. But the truth is, it is a human condition, not defined nor limited by religious devotion. And as much as atheists condemn Christians for their role in the disintegration of civil discourse, they too must look in the mirror and consider their own contributions to where we've come as a society on this issue.

Given the gradual devolution happening in our culture, it will not be surprising to see more of these kinds of efforts. The challenge for Christians is to continue to love others, even when it is not reciprocated.

A little Bible and a beer

Sunday's Indianapolis Star had a cover article talking about a regular gathering at a pub in Indy's hotspot Broad Ripple called "Pub Theology". A group of 20-something Christian guys perform in C.T. Peppers as a part of the band Travellers. They play a variety of cover songs while creating an environment in which the bar patrons can wrestle with theological ideas. They also provide a means by which people can ask questions about Christianity.

Needless to say, the guys in the Travellers band have employed a very non-traditional approach to reach out to people in an environment that the Church has largely overlooked--either intentionally or unintentionally. As you might imagine, their efforts have been met with mixed reactions and results.

This latest effort to reach people, a trend that is growing across the country, is an attempt to recognize that in today's culture a non-traditional approach is often needed. As one of the guys in the band pointed out,

"Christians use the term 'ministry' -- whatever. It is just about loving other people and being who God created you to be and getting yourself in the right place to do that," he said. "It wasn't about preaching. It was about being a Christian."

If I found myself in the place of the Traveller guys, I might not necessarily engage in the process in exactly the way they do. But I certainly applaud their efforts to reach this particular demographic. I find it refreshing. What's your take? (Speaking of which, it's interesting to note the many different reactions that are being expressed on the comment board of this article.) 

"Greater love has no one than this..."

"than he lay down his life for his friends," said Jesus (John 15:13). Would you be willing to demonstrate this kind of love--to lay down your life for your friend? What about a kidney...for a stranger? That is exactly what Bill Eiler decided to do, and in the process, he set off a chain of events that allowed multiple people here in Indiana to receive life-saving kidneys. It is an incredible story of sacrifice.

I asked Jean whether or not she would gie a kidney to someone in need. She said she probably would. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'd do. What about you? Imagine what the world would look like if we each treated eachother in this way.

G20 Summit brings out the protesters

I saw this article in today's New York Times about the G20 Summit meetings in Pittsburgh and wondered, "Is this what the real 'angry mobs' of protesters look like?" What does it say when protesters elicit multiple arrests, injuries, and tear gas requiring the intervention of a police force clad in riot gear? As one of the TV commentators pointed out back in August during all of the coverage of the townhall meetings, if conservative minded people want to learn how to really protest, then they ought to ask the libs just exactly how its done. A local shop owner in Pittsburgh described it this: "It was scary! You feel like you're living in a war zone." Now, that's what I call a protest!

I know it's naive to hope, but I would love to see the day that the media and their assorted allies evaluate the current upheavel in America and the "Tea Party" folks for what they are, rather than overshadowing the truth with caricatures that portray them as the kind of radical liberal protesters one finds at places like the G20 Summit. I know it's just a pipe-dream, but I'm just saying. As I've mentioned before, the Democrats can continue to make the seismic rumblings across the American landscape out to be something less than they really are. But come November 2010, they may discover too-late just how wrong they were. We shall see...

Who's in charge...man or God?

As part of the teaching series that I'm in the midst of right now, I sent out a London Times article from back in 2003. The occasion was celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first test-tube baby, Louise Joy Brown. Robert Edwards, one of the original two-man team that was responsible for the in-vitro fertilization technology, was being interviewed to commemorate that milestone.

What was especially revealing in the article was the point of discussion for our class on worldviews--namely, the clash between science and God. It was encapsulated in Edwards' revelation:

“It was a fantastic achievement but it was about more than infertility,” says Edwards, who rarely gives interviews but, when he does, delights in speaking his mind. “It was also about issues like stem cells and the ethics of human conception. I wanted to find out exactly who was in charge, whether it was God Himself or whether it was scientists in the laboratory.”

And what did he conclude? “It was us,” he smiles triumphantly.

Interestingly, the article also goes on to elaborate on this idea, even quoting him saying, "A child in your own image — just think of what it means to people. It’s fantastic."

No longer are we made in God's image. The "fantastic" reality is that we can create babies made in our own image. I'm reminded of Paul's comments in Romans 1 in which he wrote, "They...exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man...they worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (vv. 23, 25).

And so the clash between man and God lives on... It almost makes you wonder what God thinks of all of this. 

A refreshing display of sportmanship

Maybe you have already seen this story, but if not, I pass it along to you for some encouragement. The incident involves high school football player Matt Ziesel, a young player with Downs Syndrome who was part of the team but was never able to play. He was so enthusiastic that he suited up with pads and helmet every game, ready and willing to get into the game, but he only road the bench. Until this week. In a blow-out game, both teams worked to make it an unforgettable night for Matt.

On a related, more serious note, imagine if Matt's parents had followed the admonition of people like bioethicist Peter Singer and had eliminated people like Matt whose lives Singer has deemed as "not worth living". So many opportunities lost...

UPDATE: My apologies to any of you who clicked the link above and were taken to a Bonhoeffer book at Amazon. A technological oversight brought to my attention by one of our alert readers. The problem is corrected now and should take you to this very heart-warming story (and a link to the video of Matt's touchdown run).

Would you have killed Hitler?

As you presumably know, I've been teaching an 8 week series on Christian thinking and application at two different churches here in Indianapolis. As a part of the first week's lesson, I've included a case study about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his role in an assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler. He is part of what I wrote in that controversial case study, along with some of the questions for your reflection.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged on April 9, 1945 in the Flossenburn concentration camp, mere weeks before Allies liberated Nazi Germany. He was only 39 years old.

The crime for which Bonhoeffer was brutally executed was his participation in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler.

...he was a Christian and  a pastor. In fact, he actually known less for his role in the assassination attempt on Hitler and more for his sermons and writing during the years he spent in both Germany and the United States. And it his book The Cost of Discipleship which secured his reputation as one of the leading voices in the twentieth century.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you believe Dietrich Bonhoeffer--as a Christian and a pastor--should have been involved in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler?

2. How do you think his Christian faith affected his decision to participate? Should it have affected his decision?

3. Knowing what we know about Hitler's legacy, if you were in Bonhoeffer's place to do something to prevent it--even if it meant assassination--would you do it? Why/why not?

4. What might the Bible to say about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's situation?

These are not easy questions to answer. And it is easy for us who sit in the safe confines of suburbia to suggest what we would or wouldn't do in Bonhoeffer's situation. But these are important things to think about. So, what do you think? 

Speaking at Kingsway this Sunday

A week or so ago, I referenced a few of the upcoming speaking engagements I have in the next few weeks and months. This Sunday I'll be starting an 8-week series at Kingsway Christian Church entitled "Discover: Believing". It is intended to challenge people to think about Christianity in new ways. Beyond developing an broader understanding of the 24/7 implications of Christianity, the goal is also to help people learn how to apply their Christian faith to their daily lives in meaningful and intentional ways.

If you are in the Indianapolis area, and are looking for a very engaging and challenging experience, I would strongly encourage to come be a part of this series. I guarantee you won't regret the time and energy you invest to be there. If you are genuinely interesting in either learning more about the Christian faith or how to live your Christian faith as it was meant to be lived, this is a series you don't want to miss.

If you're inclined to come, the first class starts this Sunday morning @ 9:00 a.m. in room E108. If you have any questions or need any more information, don't hesitate to shoot me an email. I hope to see you there. :)

Oblivious to God's providence

I wanted to share a story from a potentially life and death situation that I found myself in yesterday morning. Jean is currently out of town at a conference in Nashville. So Yours Truly is attempting to hold down the fort, with limited success. (Mama, we miss you!)

I was driving Caleb to school with all of our four little ones in the car. They were laughing and carrying on in the back of the van, which is not unusual when traveling anywhere with our little Crane circus. As we were driving west on 10th street (a two-lane road), a lady pulled her car out from the Clarian West hospital on our right, crossed our lane and turned east. She then curved back toward the hospital parking lot. I thought for an instance that she was simply pulling a U-turn back into the hospital...that is, until she started heading east again, directly in my lane. She was quickly coming at me, so I slammed on my brakes and honked the horn to try to get her attention. Suddenly, she seemed to come out of whatever trance-like state she was in and swerved off the road to our right, just missing our van by mere feet.

Meanwhile, the line of cars caravaning behind us on 10th street reacted to my slamming on the brakes by swerving to the right and the left to keep from rear-ending our vehicle and eachother. We escaped contact from any of the other vehicles and continued on our way, with the poor lady probably still by the side of the road suffering a heart attack from her momentary lapse of concentration.

To quote Hamish's father from Braveheart, "That'll wake you up in the mornin', boys." And indeed it did! But it was what I saw in the back of the van that really got my attention. As I quickly recomposed myself and continued on toward school, I could hear the boys still laughing in the back, oblivious to the situation. So close to a major trauma and yet unfazed because of their innocent ignorance.

As you might imagine that whole sequence of events had me thinking throughout that day. And as I reflected back on the boys' reaction I couldn't help but see an analogy to our relationship with God. How often do we ride through life oblivious to God's sovereign hand at work around us? Virtually every morning in the Crane house we pray that God will "keep us safe as we are traveling to and from our destination." I must confess, there a number of mornings when that brief prayer has a rote quality to it. And yet, you never know when life, and other people's decisions in life, will test that prayer.

I'm so thankful that a potentially-life-threatening crisis was averted without incident. And more than that, I'm so thankful that God continues to watch over us, even (and especially) when we fail to remember that He is ever-present. 

Crane's home remedies :)

Okay, when two TDD readers send me a link on the same night, then it's time to post it so the rest of the TDD community can enjoy it. Maybe you've seen this, maybe not. If not, you would have had you had the privilege (dare I say, "luxury"?) of growing up in Crane Country. (Can I get a witness?) I could spend all afternoon regaling you with stories of Duct tape, clothes hangers, and other assorted essentials for dealing with whatever curve balls life throws your way. But I won't...this time. :)

Just sit back and immerse yourselves in what, for some of you, may be a completely cross-cultural experience. For the rest of us, it's affectionately called "Home Sweet Hillbilly Home". :)